This I thought was a bit harder than average with some good wordplays. I had to Google the Russian car (where Lada was about the extent of my knowledge) and the American novelist. With a Russian space-station and the Tsar the whole thing had a slight Soviet flavour.
1A is a lesson for new solvers in never forgetting in Chambers to look under the letters on their own – phrases found there range from “A-line” to “Z particle” and can save your many a fruitless search for such entries within the alphabetic listings.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | B,ROTUNDUM – B(ROTUND)UM; impressive=ROTUND; behind=BUM; old description of the note B flat (see under “B” in Chambers); |
| 11 | GENAPPE – GE-NAPPE(d); Georgia=GE; date=D; yarn; |
| 12 | VEENA – V(EEN)A; old word for indeed=EEN; stringed instrument; |
| 13 | KSAR – R-ASK reversed; R=take (recipe); variant of Tsar; |
| 14 | SOMEDEAL – SOME-DEAL; old word for “to an extent”; |
| 15 | BIGOTS – B(I-GOT)S; Bahamas=BS; |
| 16 | KITUL – KIT-U(sua)L; the jaggery palm that produces jaggery sugar; |
| 17 | TRACHEA – TR(ACHE)A(vel); |
| 19 | ON,A,TIME – (mediation – di)*; “once” is definition; |
| 24 | OPORICE – O-P(O)RICE; old medicine; |
| 26 | KEELSON – K(EELS)ON; |
| 28 | ADSUM – (d)AD’s-(m)UM; “here” is definition; |
| 30 | COZILY – CO(ZIL)Y; obscure Russian car=ZIL (thank you Google); comfortably in Calgary; |
| 31 | DOCTOROW – WOR(OT-CO)D all reversed; OT=Old Testament; obscure novelist (thank you Google); |
| 32 | ETEN – hidden (incomp)ETEN(t); old giant – hands up if you put “thug” in; |
| 33 | EUROS – SO-RUE reversed; very topical and apposite clue; |
| 34 | ACARINA – A-CAR-IN-A; Beetle for example=CAR; accepted=A; one=A; insects; |
| 35 | NATURISTS – N-A-T(o)URISTS; note=N; adult=A; |
| Down | |
| 2 | RESIANCE – (increased)*; rent=anagrind; old abode; nice clue; |
| 3 | ONAGRA – (ARGAN-O) reversed; seed in Morocco=ARGAN; over=O; I would have been tempted to use “on Viagra” as a clue basis; |
| 4 | TAROK – T(rick)-A-RO(c)K; old Italian card; |
| 5 | UPSTAIR – U-P-ST(A)IR; pastor=P; about=A; the flat above; |
| 6 | DEMIREP – DE(MIR)EP; Soviet space-station=MIR; a semi-reputable woman; |
| 7 | MEDICO – MED-I-C-O; sea=MED (why large?); see=C; duck=0 (cricket); quack=slang for doctor; |
| 8 | SEETHE – SEE-THE-(light); |
| 9 | UNAU – U-NA-U; the crossword sloth; |
| 10 | FALLALERY – FA-L-(really)*; note=FA; Liberal=L; trifling stuff; |
| 15 | BLOCKADES – B(LOCK)AD-(tu)ES; investments; |
| 18 | ESCULENT – ES(uncle)*T; Estonia=EST; eatable=ready to be put away; |
| 20 | MOON,RAT – MOO-(TARN reversed); low=cow noise=MOO; |
| 21 | GO,TO,WAR – GO(WOT reversed)A-R; |
| 22 | DESCRY – DE(S)CRY; soprano=S; |
| 23 | PLUTON – P-LUTON; lots of rock; |
| 25 | IRITIS – IR(k)-IT-IS; |
| 27 | AZERI – (Zaire)*; |
| 29 | DOUC – (could – l)*; end in metal=l; cast=removed; wrench is anagrind; a monkey; nice clue; |
I thought of you yesterday, Jimbo: my lunch consisted mostly of a very ripe Brie and and an even riper Camembert accompanied by some baguette and a glass or two of Gigondas in the middle of a field. Perfection.